Page 57

"Fine, you've made your point." I carefully lift her from the crib, cradling her against my chest. Her weight is nothing in my arms, but the responsibility feels immense. "Let's let your sister sleep a bit longer, hmm?"
I settle into the rocking chair where Trinity sat last night, adjusting Kaelin so she can see my face. Her tiny brow furrows as she studies me intently.
"You get that look from your mother," I inform her. "That 'I don't believe your bullshit for a second' expression. She's perfected it."
Kaelin reaches up, her fingers finding my chin. I lean closer, letting her explore my face with curious hands. When those small fingers graze one of my horns, I hold perfectly still, afraid she might hurt herself on the sharp edge.
"Careful there, little warrior. Those are sharper than they look."
She makes a soft cooing sound, completely fearless. Of course my daughter wouldn't be afraid of demon horns—they're as much a part of her heritage as her human mother's stubborn spirit.
From the crib, Liora begins to stir. Her cries start soft but quickly grow more insistent. I rise with Kaelin secure against my shoulder and retrieve her sister with my free arm.
"There we go," I murmur, settling back into the chair with both twins. "The whole legion assembled."
Liora quiets immediately once she's nestled against me, those golden eyes blinking up sleepily. Where Kaelin is bold exploration, Liora is quiet observation, watching everything with those knowing eyes.
"You two couldn't be more different if you tried," I tell them, rocking gently. "Kaelin ready to take on the world, and Liora figuring out how it all works first."
Kaelin grabs at my thumb, her grip surprisingly strong.
"That's right," I chuckle. "You'll make a fine hunter someday. Maybe even better than your old man."
I never imagined this—sitting in a nursery at dawn, talking to my half-human daughters as if they understand every word. The bounty hunter of Aerasak, terror of criminals across two worlds, completely at the mercy of two tiny beings.
"Your mother thinks I can't change." I keep my voice soft, gentle. "That demons don't change. She might be right about most of my kind, but she doesn't understand what she's done to me."
Liora's eyes seem to widen at the mention of Trinity, her tiny head turning as if looking for her.
"She'll be here soon," I promise. "And she loves you both so much, even if she's scared to admit how much."
I shift them slightly, making sure both are comfortable against my chest. "Maybe you two can help me show her that she belongs here. That she doesn't have to leave when you're a bit older."
Kaelin makes a gurgling sound that I choose to interpret as agreement.
"Exactly. We're not forcing her to stay—that's the last thing I'd ever do. She's had enough of that in her life." I brush my lips against each tiny forehead. "But we can show her what she'd be missing if she goes."
The sound of soft footsteps in the hallway makes me pause. I don't look up when Trinity appears in the doorway, pretending I haven't noticed her presence. Let her see this moment without my awareness adding pressure.
"Look at that sunrise," I tell my daughters, nodding toward the window where Aerasak's crimson sky is blooming into morning. "Nothing like it in all the worlds. One day, I'll show you every corner of this planet. All the places worth seeing."
Kaelin grabs at my finger again and I let her capture it, smiling as her tiny hand barely encircles my thumb.
"Strong grip you've got there. Going to be trouble when you're older, I can already tell."
Liora, not to be outdone, reaches for my other hand. I shift to accommodate, letting both my daughters hold onto me as if I'm their anchor in this new world they're discovering.
I never expected to want to be that so much.
For all three of my girls.
24
TRINITY
Afragile peace settles over the house in the days that follow. Vael and I orbit each other like cautious planets, close enough to feel the pull but never quite colliding. I catch him watching me with the twins sometimes, that strange intensity in his red-gold eyes making my skin prickle with awareness.
I'm singing softly to Liora this afternoon, bouncing her gently as she fusses. Kaelin sleeps in her crib, having exhausted herself with her morning theatrics. The house feels different with Vael gone—quieter, emptier somehow. He left at dawn for what he called "a simple collection," promising to return by nightfall.